Adjustable railway-switch frog.



No. 807,252. PATENTED DEC. 12, 1905. c. DE 0205s, ADJUSTABLE RAILWAY SWATCH FROG.

APPLICATION FILED .TUNE 8, 1905.

-UNITD STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLMENT DE OROES, OF VVESTPORT, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OFONE-THIRD TO MATHEW D. HARDING AND ONE-'THIRD TO WILLIAM F. MCOUL- LOUGH, BOTH OF WESTPORT, INDIANA.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 12, 1905.

Application led June 8, 1905. Serial No. 264,219.

To all 'wi/1,0m t may concern:

Be it known that I, CLEMENT DE Citons, a

` citizen of the United States, residing at Westport, in the county of Decatur and State of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Adjustable Railway-Switch Frogs; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to the parts of railway-tracks that are commonly known as frogs, which are associated with switches, and the invention has articular reference to frogs that have movablle or adjustable parts controlled by means of the switch-lever, the invention referring also to the connections between the frog and the switch-lever.

The objects of the invention are to provide a switch-frog that will afford a practically continuous track for the passa e of wheels either along the main track or a ong the approaches to the sidings, to provide adjustable frogs that will be reliable and free from springs that might break and cause accidents, and to provide frogs and operative connections that may be positively operated directly by means of the switch-lever simultaneously with the operation of the switch inharmony therewith, a further object being to provide means for positively holding the adjustable parts of the frog against accidental shifting of position in case of accidental disability of parts of the operating connections thereof.

With the above-mentioned andy minor objects in view the invention consists in a frog having a novel form of adjustably-rnovable point constructed and arranged in a novel manner, in novel forms and arrangement of devices connected with the movable point and also with the lever for shifting the switch with which the frog is associated, and in the novel parts and combinations and arrangements of parts, as hereinafter particularly described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a top plan of a section of railway-track including a switch and frog thereof with portions of a main track and a siding Fig. 2, a top plan of the frog and fragments of connecting elements 5 Fig. 3, a longitudinal sectional elevation on the line A A in Fig. 2 Fig. 4, a transverse sectional view on the line B B in Fig. 2; Fig. 5, a fragmentary longitudinalseotional view on the line C in Fig. 2 Fig. 6, a fragmentary plan of a rock-shaft for operating the frog Fig. 7 a transverse sectional view on the line D D in Fi 6 Fig. 8, an end view of the rock-shaft, an Fig. 9 a transverse sectional view of the frog-point and end views of contro lling members thereof.

Similar reference characters in the drawingsv designate corresponding elements or features.

In the drawings a well known type of switch is shown in connection with a railwaytrack, a designating the main-track rail, that is unbroken except at the usual railjoints. b designates the companion main-track rail, that extends from the frog a', the main-track rail, that is curved or deflected at the switch to form part of the siding-rail b; c, a maintrack lead-rail connecting a switch-point and the frog; d and e, the switch-points; d', a siding lead-rail connecting a switch-point and the frog, and f a siding-rail.

The im roved frog comprises a lead-rail E, connecte to the rail c and having a deflected art E extending toward the siding, and a ead-rail F, connected to the rail d and having a deflected part F extending parallel or nearly parallel with the main-track rails, the rails E and F bein stationary, the frog also comprising a mova le frog-point consisting of a rail G, connected to the rail b, and a rail G', connected to the rail f, the rail G being mitered so as to fit close to the defiected part E, and the rail G being also mitered and secured to the rail G and fitting close to the part E when the frog is adjusteddfor the main-track connection. The rails G and G diverge from the point of their attachment together to thel rails b and f and are preferably braced by a block g, suitably secured thereto, which assists in holding the two railsrigidly together to form the frog-point, the .extremity of which may be shifted to the part F to form a continuation of the rail F for leading to or from the rail f. Preferably the rails E and F are firmly secured together by means of a block h in a suitable manner and are spiked to crossties, preferably having bearing-plates i and thereon, u on which the fro -point may rest and also s ide when being s ted. A suit- IOO ablebed-plate may of course be substituted for the plates, if preferred.

The frog-point rail G is connected to the rail l) by means of splice-bars Z and 7, and bolts, as rails are usually spliced or connected, the rail G being connected to the rail f by means of splice-bars lc and k', the rail G having slots m and m to receive the joint-bolts n and n', so that when the frog-point is shifted the rail G thereof may move longitudinally and permit the lateral movement of the point Without causing excessive strains. lf desired, the splice-bars may also obviously have oblong bolt-holes, and also the rail G may have slots to receive the joint-bolts.

Reinforcing-bars .H and H are secured to opposite sides of the frog-point and have lips p and p/ extending under land against the parts E and Fl of the rails E and F for controllin the frog-point, and a reinforcingplate is secured to the lips, and with one of the lips is connected pivotally to a jaw J, to which an operating-rod K is pivoted.

ln order to operate the frog-point and the switch-points, a rock-shaft L is journaled in bearings parallel to the main track and has at one end thereof a switch-lever M, attached thereto provided with a crank-pin q, to which is connected a switch-rod 1', that is attached to the tie-bar s, which connects the switchpoints for their operation and control, the shaft L having at its opposite end a crankpin t, to which the rod K is connected. Suit- Y able boxes N, O, and O support the rockshaft on cross-ties or other suitable foundations. V

The rock-shaft may obviously consist of bar-iron or of tubing, but, being of considerable length, requiring strength without excessive material and weight, the shaft is preferably formed of L-shape angle-iron bars fu, and o, secured to form-blocks w by rivets and y and provided with journals, as 10 and and l2, and in some cases an end of the shaft is provided with an eccentric 1l in lieu of the crank-pin t for connection with the rod K.

ln practical use when the lever M is moved to the position opposite to that shown the switch will be opened or set for the siding, the frog-point at the same time being moved to the part F, thus providing a practically continuous rail to the siding. It may be observed that guard-rails are not required opposite to the frog.

Havin thus described the invention, what is claime as new is l. A railway-switch frog including a point that is movable laterally and comprising a branch that is connected to a main-track rail and abranch that is connected to a siding-rail,

one of the branches being movable longitudinally, a plurality of deflected lead-rails fixed in proximity to opposite sides of the point, an

arm attached to the point and extending below the plane of the bottoms of the lead-rails, and an operating-rod connected to the arm and extending under one of the lead-rails.

3. A railway-switch frog including a point that is movable laterally and comprising a branch that is connected to a main-track rail and abranch that is connected to asiding-rail, one of the branches bein movable longitudinally, a plurality of lea -rails fixed in proximity to opposite sides of the point, and an operating-rod extending under one of the lead-rails and connected with the point.

4. A railway-switch frog including a point that is movable laterally and comprising a branch that is connected to a main-track rail and abrancli that is connected to a siding-rail, one of the branches being movable longitudinally, a plurality of deflected lead-rails fixed in proximity to opposite sides of the point, a pair of reinforcing-bars secured to the point and having lips extending under the fixed lead-rails, a reinforcing-plate secured to the lips, and an operating-rod connected with the reinforcing-plate.

5. In a railway, the combination with a pair of switch-points, main-'track rails, sidingrails, and a switch-lever connected with the switch-points, of a frog comprising a point that is movable laterally and having a branch that is connected to a main-track rail and a branch that is connected to a siding-rail, one of the branches of the point Ybeing movable longitudinally, a plurality of deflected leadrails fixed in proximity to opposite sides of the point and connected with the switchpoints, an arm attached to -the point, an operating-rod connected with the arm and eX- tending under one of the lead-rails, and a journaled rock-shaft operatively connected with the operating-rod and also with the switch-lever.

In testimony whereof l aliix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

lonininrn DE citons.

Witnesses J. C. MoCAMMoN, SIMON M. McCULLoUGH.

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